We will recruit 50 patients 65 years and older scheduled for spine surgery. The design utilizes prospective serial assessments. The enrolled 50 surgical subjects will be evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively over 6 time-points (preoperatively, inta-op, post op day 1, post op day 7, three months and six months) using a widely accepted set of neurocognitive tests, multiple indices of functional recovery, as well as blood tests for plasma biomarkers of inflammation and β-amyloids. Enrollees will be divided in 2 groups: 25 patients with mild cognitive impairment (diagnosed by clinical assessment) and 25 normal elderly patients.